


Heritage

by EchoEchoEchoEchoEcho



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9403082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoEchoEchoEchoEcho/pseuds/EchoEchoEchoEchoEcho
Summary: Keith and Lance have been captured by the Galra. Will they cope and get through this together or will newfound appearances and abilities tear them apart?  -Being rewritten (slowly)





	1. Keith

The sound of his own breathing was the only thing keeping him sane, the monotonous rise and fall of his chest and the constant beating heart was steady and comforting. He liked to be alone and that was perhaps a good thing, considering how much of his life he'd spent in solitude. From a young age he'd found that the best way of doing things was to just ignore the rules, do what he wanted and damn the consequences.

This policy hadn't served him as well as he'd hoped in the past but even so, he stuck firmly to it. Looking back, Keith realised that perhaps this was the reason that they'd thrown him out of the garrison and why he'd been labelled as a delinquent and a troublemaker at the tender age of seven.

But one thing he knew for sure was why adults didn't like him, why he was thrown out of all those foster homes and all those schools. He was 'disruptive' and a 'bad influence on the other children' according to every teacher or 'parent' he'd ever had. Keith never showed it, but those words stung, much like the tears that fell his eyes as they were repeated over and over again in each town or city he was sent to.

It made his heart ache for a loving family, for a doting mother who spoiled him every chance she got and a father who'd take him out for ice cream every Sunday even if it was snowing. A father who'd ruffle his hair and call him son, a family that would help him grow, help him learn about the world and most importantly, say the three words that Keith had never heard, the three words he longed for, the ones he had asked for every Christmas since he was five. 'I love you'.

Keith snorted and turned his face into the cool wall of his cell, he was turning into Lance, with his stupid nostalgia and overwhelming amounts of sentiment. Lances bright features came to the forefront of his mind, blossoming in front of his eyes like a beautiful flower. He felt his heart rate speed up as he thought of the moments they'd spent together at the castle, not doing anything, just lounging around without a care in the world, completely oblivious of what was to come.

A loud bang shook Keith roughly from his thoughts, making him look round in a wild panic, searching for danger, a deer caught in headlights. Through the dark gloom of his cell he could see a figure by the door, it's outline was tall and menacing. Definitely not human. 'Get up' spoke the figure harshly, the voice was cold and cruel, with no hint of compassion or mercy. Keith cautiously picked himself up of the floor, rising to his feet, trembling despite his valiant efforts to keep himself calm 'Come here, filth' it spat, sounding disgusted with the boy that stood before him.

Keith could see the figure more clearly now as he walked confidently towards it. The figures skin was a deep purple, it's armour a contrasting grey/black. Its glowing yellowish eyes followed him as he came closer and closer to them. Keith halted, several feet away from the unmistakeable Galra soldier. The figure snarled and Keith caught a glimpse of the the razor sharp points which supposedly were what the Galras called 'teeth'. 'Closer, boy'. Keith grimaced and took another step forward, not wanting to be in close proximity to any of his captors.

'Turn around.' Keith stuck out his chin. 'No' he replied, putting as much force he could into one word. The Galra blinked, obviously not expecting resistance from him, especially in his weakened, drugged state. Keith was so unprepared for what happened next he forgot to cry out. The guard grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, making Keith's fragile body collide with the wall. Keith let out a quiet whimper as his bruised chest was aggravated. 'Next time! You will do as I say' he emphasised his words by shoving Keith into the wall once more. A tear made its way down Keith's cheek as he felt one of his ribs break and his resolve began to crumble.

He didn't know where any of the other Palladins were, he didn't even know if they were alive or dead. It was his own stupid fault for getting captured, if they did survive they'd probably attempt some suicidal rescue mission, which would get them killed, and it would have been all his fault. Again. He was broken out of his reverie by the Galra snapping cuffs on his thin wrists, the weight of them dragging his hands down to the small of his back. He didn't think he could lift them if he tried.

He hung his head in utter defeat as he was marched out of the cell. 'Just to make sure' he heard his guard mutter and just as he was about to turn to ask what was just to make sure, he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He cried out as the drug took effect immediately, making his bones feel weak and thin and his muscles non-existent.

He stumbled as his legs became jelly and it became difficult to walk. His vision became blurry and he barely registered the dozen other guards that joined him and his original escort. Two of them yanked his wrists apart from the handcuffs and draped his frail arms around each their necks, leaving him suspended helpless between them, his bare feet dragging uselessly on the floor.

He was led down a long corridor where there was a tumult of sound, it echoed in Keith's head and didn't help his befuddled and confused state, noise coming from every possible direction. In contrast to his own private cell these were full of captives, at least ten or twenty prisoners in each. but it was obvious that they were all of the same species. Galra.

Keith figured that these had to be the lowest of the low, they must have done something really terrible to be kept here. There was an inaudible shout from one of the prisoners and the guard to his right halted his escort. His guard turned to reply but he spoke in galran and though Keith felt like he should have been able to tell what he said, and he certainly wanted to, he couldn't understand the foreign language. Keith's eyes widened and he shuddered as he felt sharp claws rake slowly through his hair almost lovingly, then winced as the fingers tightened as he tried to jerk his head away. He was pushed roughly forward and his party set off again down the dimly lit corridor.

As they walked, (well as his escort walked and Keith hung) loud banging noises came from the cells, hands and feet clapping and stomping the floor in time with each other as if there was music playing and every one could hear it, bar Keith. Wolf whistles followed their progress down the corridor and each time, the guard who had spoken to the prisoner as if they were old friends (Keith reasoned that they probably were) moved a scaly hand down to Keith's lower back asserting his dominance over the injured boy. Then, finally the row of cells came to an end and Keith felt himself let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

He felt himself be led up metal steps which clanged as the Galras heavy boots made contact with them, left and down another corridor. There was far less noise up here and he could see the forms of other prisoners, not Galra this time, his mind strayed to Matt Holt and his father and he began checking in every cell for any sign of them. He wouldn't let Pidge down.

A guard saw what he was doing and forcibly held his head down and when he stubbornly tried to raise it again they hit him in the stomach with something hard. If his rib wasn't broken before, it most certainly was now. He let out a small gasp of pain, refusing to let them see that the blow had hurt him.

He ducked his head, his dark hair falling over his eyes obscuring his vision, he shut his eyes for good measure. Not wanting the little tears that had blossomed due to the pain escape and therefore show weakness. They turned right and carried on. He dreaded to think where they were taking him. 'Surely to you doom' the little voice in the back of his head supplied helpfully.

Then, something happened which made him look up in surprise. 'KEITH! KEITH CAN YOU HEAR ME?! KEITH' came Lances voice from somewhere to his left, he looked wildly around, his eyes darting from one call to another searching for his friend 'OVER HERE!' He saw Lances face peering out from between two bars and saw his face light up when their eyes connected.

'Lance was here!' He heard the little voice say. But in his confused state he struggled to find meaning in those words. If Lance was here, it meant Lance was in danger, it meant that Keith had to escape and save Lance. He couldn't let Lance stay here. Close to all those violent, jeering Galra prisoners. Before his mind had caught up to what his body was doing he had wrenched his arms from his captors grasp and fell to the floor.

He landed with a thud, his legs unprepared for the weight that they suddenly bore. He manoeuvred his body around on the floor, put his weight on his arms and torso and swung his legs round, his calfs and ankles smashing into the back of the nearest Galras knees and sending him toppling to the floor. He could hear Lance in the background egging him on as if he was watching a football match, not a fight for Keith's life. A previous Keith would hate Lance for making a joke out of one of the most dangerous situations he'd ever been in, but now Lances cheering gave him comfort and he surged to his feet, feeling more energised.

He feinted a blow to a Galras stomach, only to sock the guard painfully on his jaw with his other hand which sent himself and the Galra back a few paces. Suddenly, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist and lift him up off the ground. He kicked wildly with his legs but failed to hit any of his targets. 'Hold him still Ragnok!' Keith struggled harder than ever, fearing what they were going to do to him. 'What does it look like I'm trying to do Menog? The little bitch won't keep still' Keith snarled and struck out with his elbows, clipping his captor on the side of his head. 'You'll pay for that you filth, you'll pay in more than blood' Keith whimpered and he felt the familiar prick of the needle push into his neck.

His body seemed to melt, he couldn't hold his head upright, couldn't keep his eyes open. The world went black and he felt himself fall painfully to the floor and heard Lances terrified screams in the distance. They sounded as if they were underwater, sounds merging into one. The voice in his mind was telling him that he had to keep awake, that he had to be strong and not give in to the drug, if not for himself then for Lance. But he could not keep himself from falling deep under the soft blankets that covered his mind, cushioning his thoughts and coaxing him, tantalisingly to sleep.


	2. Zarkon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith meets Zarkon and Haggar. What will he learn?

The next thing Keith knew was unbelievable pain, it coursed through his body like liquid fire, igniting every nerve, burrowing into his muscles until he didn't think he could last much longer. He couldn't tell if he was screaming, but he took an educated guess and decided he probably was. Then, suddenly the pain vanished. His whole body tingled and he became aware that he was shaking uncontrollably. He heard words spoken seemingly from far away but his tired mind wouldn't, couldn't comprehend them. 

'I said look at me, boy' 

Keith heard the words this time, and his blood ran cold when he realized who the speaker was. Zarkon. His mind was racked with fear, he didn't move a muscle. He just froze in place, too terrified to even think about moving. 

'Do not disobey the emperor, filth' 

These words were spoken by another, to the side of Keith instead of directly In front. 'It may be the last thing you ever do' There was less authority behind these words than Zarkons but they were still powerful, especially as they were accompanied by a rather painful slap to his face. 

He slowly cracked open his eyes and found that he was suspended off the floor, chained to a metal slab in the middle of a room. He then raised his head and looked defiantly into the eyes of his foe. Their eyes met, yellow into purple, eyes boring into each other as if they thought they could wound the other if they stared hard enough. 

'Brave one aren't you?' 

Keith just stared harder at his nemesis, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his heart beat faster and faster as he gradually became aware of his situation. There was no way out, he was defenseless. If Zarkon wanted to kill him, he could. The Galran emperor broke the connection between their eyes and Keith felt victorious, he smiled in satisfaction, but it was short lived as the next moment he felt that terrible, searing pain run through his body once more. 

He opened his mouth to scream, but he never got a chance. The pain ended as suddenly as it had started. He breathed a sigh of relief, flicking his hair out of his eyes as he resumed his staring at Zarkon. 'You will answer when spoken to!' Came the second voice again. It was high and shrill and made Keith think of one of his foster mothers. She too had felt the need to assert authority through physical violence.

Zarkon was still staring at him, and Keith realized that he expected an answer. 'Alright' said the little voice in the back of his mind. 'They wanted an answer. Well then, an answer they would get' Keith next did something which was either very brave, or incredibly stupid. He spat at the floor at Zarkons feet, schooling his features into a defiant smile. Their eyes didn't break contact once. The Druid moved to shock Keith again but she was stopped by Zarkon.

'No Haggar. Let the boy have his fun. We can wait, he will find the true meaning of pain soon enough' 

Zarkon must have seen the fear that made its way past Keith's carefully constructed mask of indifference because he laughed triumphantly. It was a horrible sound. One which made young children cry. One which haunted nightmares, one which had accompanied thousands of massacres and countless destructions. 'My young paladin. You are quite the star prisoner'

As Zarkon began walking away, Keith felt his face grow hot a blush covering his cheeks, he was responding exactly how they wanted him to. Playing directly into his hands. He couldn't let Zarkon leave after having the last word. 

'You'll have to unchain me if you want an autograph' he deadpanned

Keith expected this to get a rise out of Zarkon, make him angry enough to make a mistake. The galra leader whirled around and Keith smirked inwardly but when he saw the expression on his face he faltered. Zarkons face was full of shock, his luminous eyes widening. Then he smiled, a sadistic, triumphant smile, one which scared Keith immensely. 

'Well, this is certainly surprising. Haggar, did you know of this?' 

'No my lord, no one did. I wonder even if the boy himself knows' she peered at him, her eyes boring into his, much like Zarkons. Keith was getting very creeped out by now. He wasn't used to this. Galra talking casually in front of him, they were usually trying to blow him up one way or an another. 

'WHAT?! What don't I know?' It burst from his mouth before he could stop it but Keith couldn't help himself, the stress of the terrifying situation was getting to him, and Zarkon and Haggar talking about him as if he wasn't even there wasn't helping. He head snapped to the side. 'You speak when spoken to boy' Haggar repeated. Keith wanted to hold his smarting cheek, but his hands were secured too tightly above his head. He couldn't even feel his fingers. 

Zarkon and Haggar peered at his cheek, and they shared a look then both smiled, cruel, malicious smiles. Their pointed teeth were on display and Keith desperately wanted to know the joke they seemed to be sharing at his expense. 'My lord. Do you require me to experiment further? This has never been seen before and certainly never between our two species' 

'Do what you wish, just don't hurt the boy too badly. I want him in good condition' And with that, Zarkon left the room, a venomous smile gracing his lips. 'looks like it's just me and you now sonny' breathed Haggar, bringing her face close to his, raking a long pointed nail down his cheek. Keith turned his face away and when she grasped his chin to pull him back toward her, he bit her hand. Hard. 

She yelled and recoiled and a moment later Keith felt the familiar agonizing pain that he had felt twice before. However this time he was prepared and bit down on his lip to prevent himself from crying out. The next moment it stopped and Keith could taste metal in his mouth, he had drawn blood. 

'You'd do better not to anger me, filth' 

In reply, he just spat at her feet, recreating the moment between himself and Zarkon. But unlike her leader Haggar didn't laugh, didn't stare into his violet eyes, Instead she gazed at the floor, where Keith had spat the blood out. 

Keith looked at it too. And as he did his eyes widened comically. He couldn't tear his eyes away from that spot on the floor. He couldn't move, his brain was working overtime, trying to come up with an explanation, he searched and searched looking for a solution, but nothing could explain something Keith had thought was impossible.

Haggar smiled, once again, showing her razor sharp teeth. 'Oh, this is wonderful!' She cooed, actually looking...happy. Keith didn't think that was possible. The voice in Keith's mind decided to reappear and rationalized the situation for him. 'Whatever Haggar thought was wonderful, surely wouldn't be wonderful for him' 

Whilst Keith wasn't as scared of Haggar as he was of Zarkon, she still struck fear into the very depths of his heart. She smiled wickedly up at him, and her eyes were alive with happiness. 'I hope you're ready sonny!' She whispered, coming even closer, so their noses were almost touching and he could see the dark purple markings on her face 'cause this is going to hurt' 

Pain exploded in Keith's mind and all over his body, he let out a gasp, trying valiantly to prevent himself from screaming. His body was shaking again, and the chains around his wrists and ankles were clanging against each other, the links chinking wildly together. Keith tried to focus on the little noises around him, he'd found that this was the best was to escape pain.

But he couldn't concentrate on the links because all he could think of was the blood on the floor from when he had spat at Haggar. Because it wasn't red. He would even have preferred it to be neon green. Anything instead of purple. Which was what it was. A deep, dark, ominous purple.


	3. Lance

Needless to say, Lance was not having a good day. It had started badly, due to the 3am wake up call from Allura and it had gone rapidly downhill from there. It was a sad time for Lance McClain, he thought miserably, when the highlight of his day had been narrowly escaping death. 

His life had changed so much and in such a short time. It seemed like only yesterday he'd been out surfing with his friends on summer break. And now, now he was in deep space battling an evil emperor that looked like something out of Star Wars, piloting a giant robotic lion which was somehow also a leg (a concept he still hadn't quite grasped) and most importantly, he was hopelessly in love with a guy - a guy he knew would never return his feelings.

His mind strayed to his family on Earth. They were several galaxies away now, perhaps even further (he wasn't completely sure where they were). He cursed silently when he thought of his little sister Becca. She was a year younger than him and they'd done everything together. He remembered (with no small amount of guilt) that he had promised to be there at her initiation into the Garrison. And he had missed it. One of the most important moments in her life and he had missed it. 

They had both dreamed of becoming space cadets ever since they were old enough to know what space was. And consequently they had both spent more time at the astronomy centre then at school. And though they got shouted at by their mother afterwards, it was always worth it.

Becca had cried for days when he'd been accepted into the garrison. And in the days leading up to his departure she had tried everything in her power to prevent him from leaving. This had included a carefully constructed barricade outside Lances bedroom door which had worked surprisingly well (he had been trapped for several hours) until Lance had realised that his bedroom was on the ground floor and he could simply step out of the window. He made a mental note to never, ever tell any of the Paladins that story.

His sister had been so set on keeping them together she had even gone as far as to hide in the back of the car when he arrived on his first day, intending to drag him out by force. But before she'd gotten the chance she'd been discovered by their irate mother who had shouted at her until her voice was hoarse and a proceeded to ban her from the centre for a month. Lance had later discovered that Becca had ignored her punishment and went anyway, causing the school to suspend her and their mother to keep her under what could only be described as house arrest for a week.

He let out a breathy laugh at his sisters antics and emotion welled up inside him once again but this time tears managed to force their way out from under his tightly shut eyes and rolled slowly down his cheeks. He brushed them off roughly. There were better things to cry about. His imminent death for one. 

Alarm flooded through him, paralysing him with fear as a terrible thought came to the front of his mind. What if he died and never saw his family again? He'd always thought that after defeating Zarkon they'd go home, be crowned heroes and he and Keith would live together down the road from his family, maybe buy a dog and-

No. He told himself firmly. He couldn't allow himself to have those kind of thoughts. He had made promise to himself not to think that way about Keith anymore and he wasn't about to break that promise now. Anyway, thinking about Keith wouldn't do him any good now. What if Zarkon could tell what he was thinking?! Read his thoughts and use them against him. God. He sounded like the stupid mullet with his idiotic conspiracy theories which made his eyes light up whenever he talked about- 

He dug his nails into his palms trying to push the thoughts away. Someone coughed politely in front of him. He raised his head slowly and saw it was one of his cell mates. He lowered it again, he wasn't particularly in the mood for talking. 

 

'What?' He asked curtly. 

'Your friend, the one that they brought in with you, the one they took downstairs' Lance looked up again at the mention of Keith. He nodded, encouraging the creature to keep talking.

'He's out there' 

The man or whatever it was (Lance wasn't really sure) pointed towards the door and Lance became aware of the sound of several pairs of heavy boots marching at a steady tempo, never faltering, hitting the metal again and again, producing an awful sound which resounded around the corridor and made his ears hurt.

He jumped to his feet, startling himself and the creature in front him. He darted to the door. He craned his neck to the right and peered down the corridor. He saw a figure in dark clothing hanging limply in between two of the guards, his dark fringe covering his face, shielding his features. But lance new who it was immediately.

He gathered his breath and shouted as loud as he could.  
'KEITH! KEITH CAN YOU HEAR ME?! KEITH!' 

He saw Keith's head dart up and begin to search wildly around.  
'OVER HERE!' He supplied helpfully and Keith's eyes locked onto his. 

The colour in Keith's eyes had been pushed to the outer edges of his iris' leaving only a hint of purple. His pupils were dilated and made his eyes look almost completely black. It made Lance wonder how many times he'd been drugged and more importantly, why. 

Keith suddenly dropped to the floor and Lance cried out in horror but he was moving again the next moment, putting Lances mind at ease. Before he could tell what was happening, Keith's legs had shot out, catching the nearest Galra unawares. The guard toppled to the floor and landed with a loud crash.

'YEAH!! GO KEITH. YOU CAN DO IT! TAKE THE BASTARDS DOOOWN' he dragged out the last word and applied a thick Scottish accent to the words, making the situation seem more comical which he hoped would help ground Keith. He caught a glimpse of Keith's face, it was pale and angular, a contrast to the guards behind him. 

There was a look of pure concentration upon on his face as Keith moved onto his next opponent and Lance decided to give him some real support  
'GO GO GO GO GO KEITH KO-GANE! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT KEITH KO-GANE!' 

Lance followed Keith's every move, his heart in his mouth. Just as Keith was about to turn to face the next guard, the Galra behind him wrapped his arms around Keith's middle and hoisted him off the ground. Keith's legs flailed as he tried to hit any of his other guards, but they had all moved wisely out of range. 

Lance heard two Galra say something to each other but he couldn't make out the actual words. Whatever they said Keith didn't seem to like it and his bony elbow struck out and hit the one holding him on the side of his head. The guard leaned in close Keith and whispered something and Keith went pale.

The second guard took the opportunity to stab a needle into Keith's neck and almost immediately Keith went limp in his captors arms. He saw the guards place cuffs round Keith's wrists and one of them hooked it's arms under his legs and back and set off once again, heading down the corridor away from Lance.

In a last valiant attempt to revive his friend he shouted as loud as he could. 

'KEITH!' No response 'KEITH, YOU WAKE UP NOW OR I SWEAR-' Lance didn't finish his sentence as a hand dragged him away from the barred window of the cell door. 

'Don't worry' said the owner of the hand. 'Your friend isn't dead' 

Lance couldn't see through the tears that had welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill. He stared at the floor.

'How could you possibly know that? You don't even know what they injected him with' 

'I know that he's not dead because they put cuffs on him.' Lance looked up into the face of his comforter, but only saw a blur of light skin and brown hair. Another human then, that was a surprise. 

'They wouldn't put cuffs on a dead man' Lance had to agree that they were probably right, but it didn't stop the flood gates from opening and salty water to flow down his face. He looked up into the now clear face of the person in front of him and froze in shock. He couldn't believe it. He had found him. He had found Matthew Holt.


	4. Matt

'Matt? Matt Holt?' 

Matts smile dropped and he quickly retracted his hand. He looked cautiously at the other boy through lowered eyebrows, and addressed him warily.

'How do you know my name?' His voice was steady (thank God) but there was still a hint of uncertainty which made him sound young and vulnerable. It either didn't show or the other boy didn't care as his face lit up like it was Christmas.

'It is you! OH MY GOD! That's great! Holy quiznak! Wait until I tell Pidge! Oh boy, is she gonna love me!' 

The boy in front of Matts depressed demeanour had changed so rapidly he had hardly noticed it. One minute he was sobbing his heart out over his friend and the next he was celebrating and twirling round the room like there was no tomorrow. 

'You still haven't answered my question. And what the hell is a 'Pidge'' he snapped, folding his arms over his chest, adopting a defensive stance. He stared in bewilderment at the boy who was now attempting to cartwheel but failing miserably.

The boy (who was now upside down in a very ungraceful handstand) righted himself and peered down at him looking oddly confused.  
'What do you mean 'What's a Pidge?' He said indignantly like it was Matts fault for not understanding the gibberish that came out of his mouth.  
'She's your sister, man' 

Matt took a step backwards, shock evident on his face. This imbecile in front of him knew Katie? No. That wasn't possible. (Not probable, his mind corrected.) How did Katie, little Katie know this guy? How did she know this guy that was in outer space when she was safely on Earth? Scratch that, how did she even know an older boy?! His mind was racing, providing ten different outcomes a second, each more outrageous than the last.

 

His protective brotherly instincts over his sister had kicked in and he shook his head, trying to focus in on the facts that really mattered.  
'How do you know Katie?' He finally voiced apprehensively  
'Katie?!' Started the other boy, evidently confused 'I don't know a 'Katie'. I'm talking about Pidge! Specky kid, massive nerd about yay high' he gestured with his hand around his mid thigh. 

It was obvious that this stranger thought he knew his sister and Matt was about to put him out of his misery by telling him that his sister was named Katie and this Pidge was obviously someone else's sister when a bulb lit in the back of his head and illuminated the situation.

'Pidge' had been the nickname of their cat back on Earth. It's real name had been Pigeon (a joke their father had thought was hilariously ironic) but she had been only three when they had named it and hadn't been able to form the full word. They had tried changing it later on but the cat had refused to answer to anything else so the name had just, sort of, stuck.

'Oh quiznak. I must look like an idiot. I forgot. Pidge is Katie' the boy in front of him (who still didn't have a name) sat down heavily and put his face in his hands 'I'm a complete quiznaking idiot' he mumbled into his hands in despair.

'So, I'm guessing you know my sister as Pidge?' Matt asked after he'd calmed down considerably, trying to contain a smile at the boys antics.  
'Yeah, I do' replied the boy quietly 'she's pretty badass, pretended to be a boy for ages' then his pervious jovial tone was back 'didn't fool me though of course! All the ladies can't stop themselves from confessing their love to me, the marvellous Lance, no matter how hard they try not to' 

The boy, 'Lance' realised what he'd said and who he said it to, and hastily tried to rectify it, stumbling over his words.  
'I mean, not Pidge of course, she'd never, I'd never for that matter, and quiznak she's way to young and-' he trailed off when he saw the smile on Matts face. 

He returned it, somewhat sheepishly and apologised profusely.  
'No no, it's quite alright, anyway 'Lance' how do you know Katie? How do you know who I am? What do you mean she pretended to be a boy? Is she alright? And how are you here? Does anyone on Earth know about this? And- oh God, Katie's not here is she?' Matts thoughts were racing once more, what if she was on this ship, being tortured somewhere and dying, calling out for her brother and-

His thoughts were cut short and his mind put at ease when Lance began to answer his questions.  
'Okay First of all, dude, slow down' Matt took in a large gulp of much needed air. 'Right. So Pidge pretended to be a boy to sneak into the garrison and we all thought, well I thought that we all thought that she was a bloke but it turns out that everyone had already guessed apart from me which-'

Lances rambling was cut off by a distant, agonising, pain filled scream. The colour drained from lances face, his eyes wide with alarm. 'Oh God... Keith'

Before Matt knew what was happening Lance had brushed past him, jostling his shoulder as he darted for the door. Matt followed silently, he didn't know who Keith was, but it was obvious he was someone Lance cared deeply about. He followed Lance to the door quietly not wanting to startle the boy.

There was no shouting, no banging on the door this time. There wasn't even any over enthusiastic chanting. Lance just stood, hands clenched around the bars, tears cascading down his cheeks his eyes unfocused, staring blankly forward. A tear caught on his upper lip whilst he mouthed one word, one name over and over. Keith. 

He tentatively rested his hand on Lances shoulder and he could feel him shaking underneath it.  
'Come on, you can't do anything for him now' Matt started. Then he realised how crass that had sounded and tried to retract what he'd said  
'Look- man I didn't mean that. He's gonna be fine- look, I'm sorry-'  
Lance turned his head which looked like a tremendous effort.  
'I know, it's alright' Lance gave a huge sniff and wiped angrily at his tears.  
'It's just- it's just that-' he struggled to form a sentence and Matts heart ached at the sight before him.  
'It's just that- Keith' Lance broke down once again, throwing his arms around Matt, sobbing heavily into his shoulder. Not caring that they had only just met, just seeking comfort from another. He wrapped his arms around Lances waist, pulling him closer felt his own eyes start to prickle.

Matt looked at the younger boy who was now trying to stifle his sobs biting down hard on his hand. The severity of the situation came crashing down on Matt like waves. They were from Earth, a mostly peaceful planet and nor him or Lance or even this 'Keith' had done anything to warrant this hardship. Especially the two strangers, they were probably still children by Earths standards and didn't deserve this massive weight that had been thrust upon them. 

A few minuets later they heard another scream, this one was louder and more horrible even than the last. Matt let out a quiet grunt when he felt Lances nails dig into his back and didn't protest when the boy clung harder to him, he just sat there, bearing the pain because he knew that it was nothing compared to that of Lances friend. 

He thought of all those times he'd been strapped down by one of Haggars minions who loomed over him, prodding and poking, like he was a lab rat. They had practiced their cruel magic on him, perfecting it for God knows what. He had screamed and pleaded with them to stop but they had just laughed and carried on. They had eventually stopped when he had ceased shouting and had just lain there, docile. He shuddered at the memory. 

When they had eventually given up and sent him to the arena he had felt relived, happy even. But when he saw what they were to be put up against he had never felt more terrified in his life. Not even when they had first seen the Galra ship. He couldn't imagine what it had been like for Shiro to fight there, day after day- 

His thoughts turned to the boy Lance cared so much about. He had seen him fighting all the soldiers and he had marvelled at the boys skill, even in his drugged, weakened state he had put up a hell of a fight, having to be drugged unconscious to stop him from actually taking out the whole platoon of guards that had been escorting him. 

The only other prisoner Matt had seen been guarded like that was Shiro and he was labelled the champion who's fighting skill went unrivalled. Only Zarkon could keep him in line it was said. Matt didn't even know if that was true. All the news he got of Shiro was from the few phrases he'd picked up from the Galras outside the cell and the gossip of his ever changing cell mates. 

The latest news was that Shiro had managed to escape. That had been a little over a week ago and sincerely hoped that it was true. If Shiro had escaped then that meant he could send word to Earth and get him out of here. But Matt wasn't hopeful, it was unlikely that anyone would listen to the ramblings of a boy who had only just reached adulthood about aliens and evil emperors. 

Matts eyes fell on the messy head of curls that was now leaning on his shoulder, silent tears still trickling down his face. What if Shiro had sent word? What if Lance knew Shiro? He dismissed the idea as soon as he'd thought of it. Of course he didn't know him. But mind argued back Lance did know Katie. And Shiro knew Katie as well. He decided to voice his desperate thoughts.

'Hey, Lance?'  
He gently eased the boy off his shoulder to face him. Lances eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks flushed pink and there were marks where he'd dug his fists into his eyes to prevent himself from crying. He changed his mind, Lance was definitely too shaken up over Keith to worry about anything else.

'Wait, maybe this isn't the best time. It doesn't matter'

'No, no ask me. I'm fine. I'm good. I'm soooooperdoooooooopa' 

Matt could see that Lance was putting on an act, trying to pretend that he was alright, it was good. Matt wondered if he'd had practice. He had just decided to tell Lance that he could see straight through his guise but the nagging thought if Shiro and escape caught his tongue.

'Do- d'you know anyone called Takashi? Or Shiro? Or-' he was cut off by Lances bright (though obviously false) smile.

'Yeah! I know Shiro. We're best buds, me and him. Lance and Shiro against the world, you know? We go waaaaaaay back' 

Matt could tell that Lance was exaggerating but he had obviously met Shiro and were at least on good speaking terms. 

'So he's alright? He's alive? He made it out? How do you know him? Where did you meet?' He fired rapid questions at Lance, feeling slightly guilty when he saw the resigned expression on his face. But Lance answered all the same.

'As far as I know, Shiros alive and kicking and definitely out of here. Unless he's decided to come rescue us? Which would be nice' he posed the last two sentences as questions and looked up to the ceiling as if he was expecting Shiro to suddenly materialise and save the day. When he did not, Lance pouted, then carried on. 'I know him cause he was sort of a legend at the Garrison. Best pilot they'd ever had apparently, well he was until Keith came along and-'

He stopped himself short at his accidental mention of Keith and he jumped to his feet and began feverishly pacing the length of the cell, head in his hands, fingers pulling at his hair. 

'Look man, I'm sorry for bringing everything back up. Il leave you alone and go sit with everyone else.' Matt felt incredibly stupid. He'd just gotten Lance to stop thinking about Keith and now-

The next thing that happened made everyone in their cell stop what they were doing. It sent shudders down their spines (well, those of them who had spines) and most curled into themselves, looking for comfort. The women in the cell exchanged looks and hugged each other, each of them staring at Lance in pity for the thing that had caused this mass reaction was a scream.

It echoed down the hallway and reverberated in their ears. It was long and drawn out, bone chilling, blood curdling and definitely the worst yet. Matt looked quickly up at Lance to see his reaction to Keith's animalistic sound. There weren't even tears this time, just disbelief and... rage. 

Matt could see it in his eyes. Lance was dangerous. More dangerous than he and and undoubtedly others had ever given him credit for. He had not thought it was possible to be so protective of someone like that. To love some one so much that their state well being caused this much anger when compromised. 

A minute later they heard Haggars horrible, triumphant cackle which had sent fear into the hearts of braver men than he. There was a loud thud and Matt feared the worst, and obviously so did Lance, as he punched the wall and didn't even seem to register his hand breaking. It cracked with a sickening snap and Matt gagged, he had never done well with blood. Or any other type of injury when it came to it.  
Heavy footsteps were heard down the corridor and Matt rushed to the door and Lance followed suit a moment later, now cradling his right hand. As the thudding came closer and closer they could hear the sound of something or someone being dragged and they peered out of the door, squinting in the dim light.

Two guards held a limp Keith between them his head was bowed and he was unconscious. Well, they hoped he was. The footsteps slowed down and the guards came to a halt outside the door. Matt took several steps back, dragging Lance with him, who had stood motionless, staring at the soldier through the door.

One of the guards pressed a hand to the pad outside of the door and it slid open and they threw Keith unceremoniously inside. One of them said something in Galran, and the other chuckled and spat on the floor beside the boy, kicking his side for good measure. Matt grabbed Lances arms and restrained him. If he attacked one of the guards. Matt shuddered. He had tried that when he was first captured. Needless to say he hadn't tried again since.

Matt turned his focus away from the guards (who were now retreating and locking the door) and studied Keith. He looked pale and sickly. He leant over Keith and checked if he was breathing. He was. He looked up at Lance, only to find him sat on the floor in shock, staring at Keith's head. Matt looked at it too, trying to see what Lance found so interesting. 

He soon realised what Lance was looking at and recoiled. For protruding out from under the thick dark curls which covered Keith's head, were two very fluffy, very large and unmistakably Galran ears.


	5. Number #4

Intense pain was all he could feel. It was invading his every sense, blocking the signals to his brain, he couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't move. All he could do was lie there and try not to scream. His lungs protested every breath and the metallic taste in his mouth was back, bringing with it a monumental headache. He schooled his erratic breathing and tried to just focus. Panicking certainly wouldn't help and he needed to get off this ship - and quickly.

As he gradually became more aware of his surroundings he realised that he was on a hard, metal surface- and it was freezing. His shirt had ridden up and his bare stomach was flat against it. He gritted his teeth and used his torso to roll himself over. He gasped in pain, his hand flew up to his ribs, shielding them. He put two and two together and deduced that he'd been kicked. Repeatedly.

He was suddenly aware of voices around him. It had been like a switch. One moment he couldn't hear a thing and the next his hearing was better then ever. He moved his head around, searching blindly for the sources, all he could see was darkness. Wherever he was was pitch black, save for a flickering light in a far corner.

As his eyes became more accustomed to the dark he just could just make out the blurry silhouettes of numerous different species. He brought his arm towards him and attempted to heave himself up off the floor, but collapsed when he put too much pressure on it. He fell back with a thud and grimaced when his already damaged chest hit the ground forcefully.

'KEITH!'

It was Lances voice, he recognised it instantly. He felt Lances hand on his shoulder and he pressed his forehead onto the cool surface of the floor.  
'Hey, help me up.' His voice sounded croaky and his throat was raw from screaming. Lance gripped his upper right arm and someone else grabbed his left. They heaved him to his feet and wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders.

 

They half dragged, half carried him to the corner of the room and sat him down on a bench. Lance's friend took several steps back and looked at him cautiously. Keith directed his gaze towards Lance, and looked at him questioningly.

'Is that who I think it is?' He said softly. It was almost a whisper but Lance clearly heard as he nodded, looking at the floor. Keith cleared his throat and addressed the stranger.

'Matt Holt? It's nice to meet you, I'm Keith. Keith Kogane?' he tried to smile at the end, but could only manage a weak, tired imitation. He held out a hand, but Matt just backed away staring at him in fear. Keith's eyebrows crinkled in confusion and he let his hand drop.

He looked at Lance confusedly but Lance wouldn't meet his eyes either, he just looked away and shared a glance with Matt. Keith felt his temper flare. Why wouldn't either of the just look at him? He opened his mouth to say something but before he'd uttered the first syllable he caught a glimpse of his hand.

Where once bitten and misshapen nails had been, there were now long, talon like nails which protruded at least an inch from the end of his fingers. He jerked his head up to look at the pair in front of him. He raised his hand closer to his eyes to get a better look and saw that, what could only be described as claws. They were razor sharp and deadly.

'Er- Lance' he began, his voice was shaking more than it should have been. 'What-' he swallowed, delaying the final question 'what happened to my hand?' He rotated his hand in the air and felt sick. It looked Galran.

'I- er. I don't know Keith.' He evidently saw the scared expression on his face and tried to be more reassuring 'I'm sure it's nothing permanent, but-' Lance trailed off, not knowing what to say. Keith's breathing sped up, his chest rising and falling. Faster and faster. He didn't know why this was happening and seemingly, neither did Lance. He was confused and scared and the ambiance of the room just set him on edge. He felt a flash of pain and his emotions seemed to get clearer, more powerful.

Keith could feel himself getting frustrated, angry even. The next thing he knew was that he felt rage. Pure rage. It flooded his body and consumed him, he couldn't control it, it was too powerful. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to blot out the feeling of years and years of loneliness and resentment. It was as if they were all crashing down upon him, taking advantage of his vulnerable state. His eyes snapped open and he could see the room clearly, each face of each prisoner was turned towards him and he could see them all in amazing detail, down to the wispy hairs that were growing on Matts chin.

Then, just as abruptly as it had started it stopped, his heart was still pounding but his emotions were under his control once again. He could once again only see the faint outlines of the people but Lance and Matt were starting at him in absolute horror.

'What's happening to me?' He was shocked at how his voice sounded, weak and defeated. Lance just stared at him and Keith could almost see the mental battle that was taking place in Lances mind.

'Okay, Keith. I'm going to tell you, just- Just don't freak out okay?' Keith nodded, his mind racing. 'Right, okay, please please please don't freak out but, as it turns out, you may not be, well not the exact definition of-'

'SPIT IT OUT!' Keith surprised himself with his outburst and looked sheepish when Lance raised an eyebrow. 'Oh my God! I cannot believe this, I specifically said, DON'T freak out and what do you do? You just have to go and-'

'LANCE!' It was Matt this time, who interrupted Lances ramblings. 'Tell him now, or I will and we both know he's gonna take it a lot better from you. So just tell him... please. Also- there's less chance of injury this way '

'Okay, okay! I'll tell him, geez. Right, again- don't freak out. So, well, me and Matt have come to the conclusion that you may not be, well- entirely... human' Lance phrased the last sentence as a question, voice rising in pitch with every word. He winced at the end, bringing his arms to cover his chest as if he was scared Keith was going to attack him.

Keith was silent for about half a minute, then he let out a bark of laughter, his face contorted into a forced smile.  
'Ha. Good one, there's no way I can be Galra! I was born and raised on Earth! I'm not purple. I'm not even lilac. I'm most definitely human. okay, so my nails have grown a bit, what's the big deal!?' He looked down again, shaking his head he couldn't be Galra, it just wasn't possible. Lances next words snapped him out our his thoughts.

'Keith, it's not just your nails'

His head shot up so fast that Lance who was famous for being easily startled, jolted. From his position crouched on the floor, he wasn't prepared for the sudden movement and fell backward, his arms spinning round and round trying to regain his balance. He lost the battle and ended up flat on his back, groaning in pain, his head resting on Matts shoes.

Lance rolled over and prepared to push himself up off the floor with his forearms but he stopped, staring at the floor.

'Get up Lance'

'But maaaat'

'What'

'I can see me! Look! Oh wow, look at those cheekbones, sculptured by the Gods! Thats what they said at the garrison-'

Keith tuned out the rest of his words and directed his attention to Matt instead. He was frowning down at Lance like he was a petulant child and Keith almost laughed at the comical situation, but Lances words were still ringing in his ears. He peered down at lance who was now pinching his cheeks making them redden and caught a sight of his own reflection in the floor.

He recoiled in shock, his back hitting the wall of the cell hard. He brought a hand up to his hair, and felt two, unfamiliar objects there. He reached around to feel for his ears, but they had gone, in their place were two, large dark purple ears, which protruded from his head, making his hair look crazier than ever. He felt tears brimming in his eyes but he forced them back, he was determined not to cry. He realised that this was what haggar had been so happy about. What she had said would cause the 'fall of Voltron'. He had ruined everything for the team, ruined their only chance of defeating Zarkon.

He couldn't believe it, there was no way Allura would let him pilot Red now, how would people react when Voltron arrived to save them from the Galra, and one of the Paladins was their enemy, the very thing they were fighting against? He clenched his fists, his nails- he corrected himself, his claws digging into his palms, drawing blood.

He could almost feel lances gaze on him and he curled his arms around his knees and bowed his head. The tears which had been threatening to spill were now cascading down his face, he wiped them away roughly. Crying wouldn't help, nothing would.

'Keith, common, it's not that bad-'

Lance stopped abruptly, midway through his sentence, staring at Keith's face in shock. He raised his head a fraction higher, and raked a hand through his hair, wincing when he felt his ears.

'What is it?' He looked at Matt who shrugged and then looked uncertainly back at Lance  
'Lance? Lance what is it?'

To his surprise Lances features broke out into a huge smile.  
'Keith! Dude! Your bloods purple! That's is so cool! Matt look at this!' Lance grasped Keith's face in his hands and dragged Matt closer, pointing at the smear of blood which had been transferred from his hand to his left cheek.  
'LOOK! Isn't that awesome?!'

Keith wrenched his head back out of Lances grasp and glared at him. The smile faded at the look on Keith's face, he looked murderous.  
'It is NOT awesome lance. Do you even know what this means?! It means that Voltron can't form and there's no way to protect the universe. You're out of a job. Thousands of people will perish under Zarkons rule. Earth will be destroyed and everyone, your friends, your family, everyone will all be enslaved because of me. Just because I'm- I'm- Galra.' As he spoke he became increasingly hysterical. He whispered the last word and broke down, curling into himself once more, despite the protests of his ribs.

'Keith- look, I'm sorry man- I didn't mean- OH COME ON!'

Lance was cut off once again, but this time it was by the door opening. The other inhabitants of the room all scuttled, walked, slid and jumped (flew in some cases) to the opposite side of the cell away from the door. Keith jumped to his feet, immediately regretting it as a stab of pain went through his chest, he doubled over and Lance glanced at him in worry. They were the only two left in the middle of the room. Matt having moved back into the shadows, away from the pair.

Lance

It was difficult to believe that even despite their bickering they had not heard what looked like a whole platoon of Galra soldiers approaching. They didn't speak, but the one who had entered first motioned with his hand at the pair and two of them surged forward. They must be here for Keith, he thought and blocked their path to his friend.  
'If you want him, you gonna have to go though me first'  
He almost winced as he said it, realising how cheesy that had sounded but stood his ground, facing down the approaching soldiers.

To his surprise, they didn't stop, didn't even falter on their way over to them. 'Look pal, you better stay away or I'm gonna karate kid you into next week.' This didn't seem to deter them.  
'seriously, I won't hesitate, il -' They stopped in front of them and dodged the blow Lance had sent their way and roughly pulled his arms from where they had been in a defensive position (hands balled up, in front of his face) and held them behind his back.  
'Pal, buddy. What the HELL do you think you're doing- il have you know that-' his words were cut off yet again as a gloved hand covered his mouth, and arm was wound right around his upper arms, pinning him against his sides. Lances eyes widened as the other moved forward towards keith, a malicious glint in his eye. Keith shifted his weight to his back leg, and readied himself for a fight.


End file.
